Remy Astie, CEO and founder of Vauban, makes the case for joining forces with other angels and highlights some of the benefits (for both investor and the companies they back).

In reaction to a COVID crisis that brought extremely low interest rates and an accelerated digital transformation, investors are increasingly exploring private investment opportunities in startups to enjoy better returns. 

Karen Dunne-Squire from Elation Experts shares her five key steps to ensuring the change you want to embed in your business succeeds.

Modwenna Rees-Mogg looks at the Future Fund statistics and asks just how helpful they really are?

The number of first-time funding rounds into UK seed-stage startups declined for a second consecutive year in 2020, to 36 per cent below the 2018 peak for such deals, according to new research commissioned by SFC Capital. 

Bower Collective, the sustainable consumer goods business has raised £2.1 million in seed stage fundraising.  The round led by Oxford Capital and Doehler Ventures will accelerate the growth of the business through packaging innovation and new product development to increase market share. 

A biotech company with a product that helps to heal eye injuries and could revolutionise treatment of other wounds has raised a further £1.8m.

Nottingham-based NuVision Biotherapies  has secured funding from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, Mercia’s EIS funds, Newable Ventures and private investors.

Situated in the London borough of Westminster, technology company Dragonfly AI has secured a £250,000 loan to expand its operations whilst creating employment opportunities for the region.

Three quarters (76%) of IFAs believe that their use of Business Relief propositions will increase over the next two years, 

A business that is on course to transform the food allergy diagnostics market has secured £2.9m investment in a funding round led by Praetura Ventures with follow-on equity investment from the Development Bank of Wales.  Reacta Biotech (Reacta), which is based in Deeside, North Wales, produces clinical diagnostics kits for food allergy testing. The business improves the efficiency, accuracy and safety of food allergy testing by producing pharmaceutical grade Oral Food Challenges (OFCs), the gold standard test for diagnosing food allergies.

QVentures has announced their latest fund investment into Wildpoint, a marketplace that allows campers to find and book outdoor stays at campsites, caravans, tipis, and cabins.  Wildpoint, a new outdoor experience platform, enables lovers of the outdoors to search, browse and book outdoor stays effortlessly, saving users hours of planning time. The online marketplace – with its mission to “make the outdoors more accessible to all” – gives people the ability to search for campsite stays, glamping stays and private and unique camping spots whilst filtering these based on site characteristics such as waterfalls, lakes and forests, as well as by nearby activities, such as wild swimming, surfing or mountain biking.

The audio app Anyone has been one of the most talked-about audio apps coming out of Nordics in the last year, making it onto Business Insider’s global list of startups poised to take off in 2021 and dubbed one of Sweden’s hottest startups in Sifted.  The Stockholm-based start-up has now announced a $3.6 million seed investment, with the round led by Cavalry Ventures along with participation from Supernode Global, Antler and a number of high-profile angel investors.

Livingbridge has announced its investment in AJM Healthcare, the leading provider of NHS wheelchair services in England.  AJM provides services for over 100,000 wheelchair users across 13 locations.  It delivers a high quality, clinically led service focused on meeting the diverse needs of users.  AJM draws on the deep experience of its more than 270 staff to ensure leading outcomes and best-in-class service for both commissioners and service users.